Gavin Newsom: Legalize marijuana

Christmas came early to marijuana activists — and please, no open flames close to their tree — in the form of a big fat present from California Lt. Gov Gavin Newsom.

Did you catch what Gavin, who said he is not a pot smoker himself, said in Friday’s NYT in a story about the Times? The story notes that recreational marijuana is “as a practical matter, already legal in much of California.” (Excuse us for a DUH Alert!)

Said the Lite Guv:

“It’s shocking, from my perspective, the number of people that we all know who are recreational marijuana users,” said Gavin Newsom, the lieutenant governor. “These are incredibly upstanding citizens: Leaders in our community, and exceptional people. Increasingly, people are willing to share how they use it and not be ashamed of it.”

Later in the story, the man who led the political pack on the same sex marriage issue said: “These laws just don’t make sense anymore,” he said. “It’s time for politicians to come out of the closet on this.”

And now for the question on everyone’s mind: WHO ARE THESE INCREDIBLY UPSTANDING CITIZENS? Name names! That’s what would move the movement forward.

But now that the Lt. Guv of the largest state is backing legalization, whoa, now that’s time to put on your best hemp shirt. It’s big news. Tom Angell, chair of the Chairman of the Marijuana Majority, hoists Newsom on his shoulders:

“The fact that savvy and ambitious politicians like Gavin Newsom are embracing marijuana legalization shows that this is now a mainstream, majority-support issue, whereas once many officials who agreed with us in private would run away from us in public. If you look at the polling, you get the clear sense that opposing marijuana legalization is going to increasingly be a liability for Democrats in primary elections.”

Yes, the polls are swinging toward the legalization. But….and maybe we’re not standing close enough to the tree, but we may be a cycle or two away from marijuana being a “liability for Democrats in primary elections.”